Australia refuses to ban Russian tourists from entering

Defense Minister Marles: Australia will not ban Russian tourists from entering.

Canberra will not ban entry to Russian tourists, Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles said in an interview with ABC television.

“We have a number of sanctions, and they are directed at the Russian government <...> they are not directed at the Russians themselves. This is not what we are considering at the moment,” he said.

Last week the visa facilitation agreement between the European Union and Russia ceased to operate. Now it will be more difficult to get a Schengen visa, and tourist applications will be considered last. At the same time, some participants in the Schengen agreement insist on tougher measures - for example, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia agreed from September 19 not to let Russians through their borders at all, even with visas issued by other countries.

At the same time, the Schengen Borders Code does not provide for refusal of entry solely on the basis of citizenship. Moscow has repeatedly called these restrictions a manifestation of nationalism and discrimination, and also noted that they contradict all the principles proclaimed by the European Union itself and its obligations in the field of human rights.